Orbital Reconstruction via Deformable Titanium Mesh Following Spheno-Orbital Meningioma Resection: Ophthalmic Presentation and Outcomes.

PURPOSE: To present a surgical approach to reconstruction of the bony orbit following resection of spheno-orbital meningioma utilizing deformable titanium mesh while emphasizing the ophthalmic presentation and outcomes of the repair. METHODS: A retrospective chart review received International Review Board approval, and 20 patients met the inclusion criteria. All patients underwent resection of spheno-orbital meningioma followed by orbital reconstruction with deformable titanium mesh. Pre- and postoperative ophthalmic exam findings were recorded. Outcome measures include Snellen visual acuity, performance on automated Humphry 30-2 perimetry, extraocular motility, Hertel exophthalmometry, associated complications, and recurrence. A literature review of the use of titanium to reconstruct the orbit following resection of spheno-orbital meningioma was performed. RESULTS: Visual acuity improved (9/20) or remained the same (8/20) in 85% of patients. Fifteen of the 20 patients had pre- and postoperative visual fields performed, and 93% (14/15) experienced substantial improvement or no change with full fields. Of the 12 patients who had extraocular motility disturbance following surgery, 25% (3/12) had preexisting defects that did not change, 58% (7/12) returned to normal, and 17% (2/12) had new onset dysfunction that did not improve. Proptosis was reduced by a mean of 4.4 mm. Complications were rare and inconsequential, and recurrence was observed in 20% (4/20) at an average of 43 months following surgery. CONCLUSIONS: Orbital reconstruction using deformable titanium mesh is both safe and effective in the setting of resection of spheno-orbital meningioma. This study is the largest known report of orbits reconstructed with deformable titanium mesh in the available literature.The ophthalmic presentation of spheno-orbital meningioma and postoperative results are presented following description of orbital reconstruction utilizing deformable titanium mesh.

Septic Cavernous Sinus Thrombosis Associated With Orbital Cellulitis: A Report of 6 Cases and Review of Literature.

PURPOSE: To describe risk factors, clinical parameters, treatment, and prognosis for patients with septic cavernous sinus thrombosis presenting with orbital cellulitis. METHODS: Retrospective case series of 6 patients identified with septic cavernous sinus thrombosis and orbital cellulitis confirmed by magnetic resonance imaging at a tertiary care center from January 1980 to December 2016. Medical records were reviewed for demographics, risk factors, symptoms, etiology, radiographic diagnosis, complications, treatments, and outcomes. In addition, a literature review was performed from 2005 to 2018, and 119 cases of septic cavernous sinus thrombosis confirmed by imaging were included for aggregate comparison. This study adheres to the tenets of the Declaration of Helsinki, and institutional review board approval was obtained. RESULTS: All 6 cases presented with headache, fever, ocular motility deficit, periorbital edema, and proptosis. The primary source of infection included sinusitis (n = 4) and bacteremia (n = 2). Identified microorganisms included methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (n = 3) and Streptococcus anginosus (n = 1). All cases were treated with broad-spectrum intravenous antibiotics and anticoagulation, and one case underwent endoscopic sinus surgery. The mean time between initial presentation to diagnosis of cavernous sinus thrombosis was 2.8 days, and the average length of hospital admission was 21 days. The mortality rate was 0%, but 4 cases were discharged with neurological deficits including vision loss (n = 1) and ocular motility disturbance (n = 3). Literature review produced an additional 119 cases. CONCLUSIONS: Early diagnostic imaging with contrast-enhanced CT or MRI should be initiated in patients with risk factors and ocular symptoms concerning for cavernous sinus thrombosis. Treatment entails early administration of broad-spectrum intravenous antibiotics, anticoagulation, and surgical drainage when applicable.

Soft Tissue Chondroma of the Eyelid.

A 54-year-old woman presented with a 2-year history of a slow-growing subcutaneous nodule of the medial right lower eyelid adjacent to the inferior canaliculus. The patient reported right-sided epiphora suggesting lacrimal outflow obstruction. The surgically excised nodule was consistent with a chondroma. A rare tumor, soft tissue chondroma, is most often seen in the extremities, but has also been observed in the head and neck region. To their knowledge, this is the first reported case of a soft tissue chondroma of the eyelid.

Bilateral Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma of the Orbit.

A 41-year-old woman with adenoid cystic carcinoma of the left lacrimal gland underwent extended left orbital exenteration and postoperative external beam radiation therapy. She presented 1 year postoperatively with contralateral right orbital involvement. The authors report a rare case of adenocystic carcinoma of the lacrimal gland with bilateral orbital involvement.

Evisceration With Injectable Hydrogel Implant in a Rabbit Model.

PURPOSE: To determine the safety, durability, and biocompatibility of 2.5% polyacrylamide hydrogel (Aquamid, Specialty European Pharma, Ltd., London, UK) as an injectable viscoelastic implant following evisceration in a rabbit model. METHODS: The protocol was reviewed and approved by the Wake Forest Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee. Adult New Zealand rabbits underwent cornea-sparing evisceration of the right eye with injection of 2.5% polyacrylamide hydrogel implant. The rabbits were sacrificed after 2 weeks (n = 1), 5 weeks (n = 2), 12 weeks (n = 3), 25 weeks (n = 3), and 1 year (n = 3) to evaluate the implant volume and host reaction to the implant. Both eyes were enucleated and their diameters were measured. The eviscerated eyes were fixed in formalin and processed using routine histopathologic methods to assess inflammatory reaction and vascularization. RESULTS: The implant material was well tolerated with a moderate giant cell reaction seen at 6 weeks that improved over time. Extensive vascularization of the implant was noted starting at 6 weeks. There was excellent maintenance of globe volume that did not diminish over time. The relative diameters of the eviscerated eyes compared with control were 89 ± 6% (mean% ± SD) at 12 weeks (n = 3), 94 ± 2% at 25 weeks (n = 3), and 93 ± 4% at 1 year (n = 3). CONCLUSION: With further study, injectable 2.5% polyacrylamide hydrogel may provide an excellent alternative to solid orbital implants. The implant material was universally well tolerated and maintained appropriate volume in the orbit for the study period of 1 year. Extensive vascularization of the implant was noted indicating biointegration.

Orbitofacial Metastatic Basal Cell Carcinoma: Report of 10 Cases.

PURPOSE: To explore the clinical features, management, and prognosis of metastatic basal cell carcinoma originating in the orbitofacial region. METHODS: Ten cases of orbitofacial metastatic basal cell carcinoma were identified by searching databases at 2 institutions from 1995 to 2015. A retrospective chart review was performed. Main outcome measures included patient demographics, lesion size, location of metastases, histologic subtype, recurrence rate, time between primary tumor diagnosis and metastasis, perineural invasion, treatment modalities, and survival from time of metastasis. RESULTS: The median tumor size at largest dimension was 3.3 cm (range, 1.9-11.5 cm), and 6 of 10 patients had at least 1 local recurrence before metastasis (range, 0-2 recurrences). The most common sites of metastasis included the ipsilateral parotid gland (n = 6) and cervical lymph nodes (n = 5). Histologic subtypes included infiltrative (n = 5), basosquamous (n = 2), nodular (n = 1), and mixed (n = 1). The median time from primary tumor diagnosis to metastasis was 7.5 years (range, 0-13). The median survival time from diagnosis of metastasis to last documented encounter or death was 5.3 years (range, 7 months-22.8 years). Treatment regimens included surgical excision, radiotherapy, and hedgehog inhibitors. CONCLUSIONS: Based on our findings, the following features may be markers of high risk orbitofacial basal cell carcinoma: 1) increasing tumor size, 2) local recurrence of the primary tumor, 3) aggressive histologic subtype, and 4) perineural invasion. Screening should include close observation of the primary site and tissues in the distribution of regional lymphatics, particularly the parotid gland and cervical lymph nodes.

Oral Propranolol as an Alternative Therapy for Orbital Angiolymphoid Hyperplasia With Eosinophilia.

An 8-year-old female patient presented with left upper eyelid swelling and erythema. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed an orbital mass involving the left lacrimal gland with subsequent incisional biopsy leading to the diagnosis of angiolymphoid hyperplasia with eosinophilia. Initially prescribed an oral corticosteroid, alternative management was sought after 4 months due to unwanted side effects of steroid therapy. Oral propranolol (2 mg/kg/day) was initiated with concurrent steroid taper. Interval decrease in lesion size was observed on subsequent magnetic resonance imaging with complete resolution of subjective symptoms (Fig. 1). She remains stable 14 months after starting beta-blocker therapy. To our knowledge, our case is the second case report suggesting oral beta-blocker may be an alternative therapy for orbital angiolymphoid hyperplasia with eosinophilia.

Orbital pseudotumor can be a localized form of granulomatosis with polyangiitis as revealed by gene expression profiling.

Biopsies and ANCA testing for limited forms of granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA) are frequently non-diagnostic. We characterized gene expression in GPA and other causes of orbital inflammation. We tested the hypothesis that a sub-set of patients with non-specific orbital inflammation (NSOI, also known as pseudotumor) mimics a limited form of GPA. Formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded orbital biopsies were obtained from controls (n=20) and patients with GPA (n=6), NSOI (n=25), sarcoidosis (n=7), or thyroid eye disease (TED) (n=20) and were divided into discovery and validation sets. Transcripts in the tissues were quantified using Affymetrix U133 Plus 2.0 microarrays. Distinct gene expression profiles for controls and subjects with GPA, TED, or sarcoidosis were evident by principal coordinate analyses. Compared with healthy controls, 285 probe sets had elevated signals in subjects with GPA and 1472 were decreased (>1.5-fold difference, false discovery rate adjusted p<0.05). The immunoglobulin family of genes had the most dramatic increase in expression. Although gene expression in GPA could be readily distinguished from gene expression in TED, sarcoidosis, or controls, a comparison of gene expression in GPA versus NSOI found no statistically significant differences. Thus, forms of orbital inflammation can be distinguished based on gene expression. NSOI/pseudotumor is heterogeneous but often may be an unrecognized, localized form of GPA.

Gene Expression Profiling and Heterogeneity of Nonspecific Orbital Inflammation Affecting the Lacrimal Gland.

Importance: Although a variety of well-characterized diseases, such as sarcoidosis and granulomatosis with polyangiitis, affect the lacrimal gland, many patients with dacryoadenitis are diagnosed as having nonspecific orbital inflammation (NSOI) on the basis of histology and systemic disease evaluation. The ability to further classify the disease in these patients should facilitate selection of effective therapies. Objective: To test the a priori hypothesis that gene expression profiles would complement clinical and histopathologic evaluations in identifying well-characterized diseases and in subdividing NSOI into clinically relevant groups. Design, Setting, and Participants: In this cohort study, gene expression levels in biopsy specimens of inflamed and control lacrimal glands were measured with microarrays. Stained sections of the same biopsy specimens were used for evaluation of histopathology. Tissue samples of patients were obtained from oculoplastic surgeons at 7 international centers representing 4 countries (United States, Saudi Arabia, Canada, and Taiwan). Gene expression analysis was done at Oregon Health & Science University. Participants were 48 patients, including 3 with granulomatosis with polyangiitis, 28 with NSOI, 7 with sarcoidosis, 4 with thyroid eye disease, and 6 healthy controls. The study dates were March 2012 to April 2017. Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary outcome was subdivision of biopsy specimens based on gene expression of a published list of approximately 40 differentially expressed transcripts in blood, lacrimal gland, and orbital adipose tissue from patients with sarcoidosis. Stained sections were evaluated for inflammation (none, mild, moderate, or marked), granulomas, nodules, or fibrosis by 2 independent ocular pathologists masked to the clinical diagnosis. Results: Among 48 patients (mean [SD] age, 41.6 [19.0] years; 32 [67%] female), the mclust algorithm segregated the biopsy specimens into 4 subsets, with the differences illustrated by a heat map and multidimensional scaling plots. Most of the sarcoidosis biopsy specimens were in subset 1, which had the highest granuloma score. Three NSOI biopsy specimens in subset 1 had no apparent granulomas. Thirty-two percent (9 of 28) of the NSOI biopsy specimens could not be distinguished from biopsy specimens of healthy controls in subset 4, while other examples of NSOI tended to group with gene expression resembling granulomatosis with polyangiitis or thyroid eye disease. The 4 subsets could also be partially differentiated by their fibrosis, granulomas, and inflammation pathology scores but not their lymphoid nodule scores. Conclusions and Relevance: Gene expression profiling discloses clear heterogeneity among patients with lacrimal inflammatory disease. Comparison of the expression profiles suggests that a subset of patients with nonspecific dacryoadenitis might have a limited form of sarcoidosis, while other patients with NSOI cannot be distinguished from healthy controls.

Natural killer/T-cell lymphoma with ocular and adnexal involvement.

PURPOSE: To review the clinical, radiological, and histopathologic features in 8 patients with natural killer/T-cell lymphoma (NKTL) involving the orbit and/or ocular adnexa, and to describe the responses of these patients to various treatment regimens. DESIGN: Retrospective observational case series. PARTICIPANTS: Eight patients (5 male, 3 female) with NKTL involving the orbit and/or ocular adnexa were identified from 1999 through 2005. The mean age at presentation was 45 years (range, 26-65). METHODS: We retrospectively identified patients with NKTL of the ocular adnexa treated in the authors' medical centers from 1999 through 2004 using computerized diagnostic index retrieval. The clinical records and radiologic studies were analyzed to define modes of presentation and progression, response to therapy, and areas of anatomic involvement. Histopathologic findings, including the presence of CD3, CD56, and Epstein-Barr virus-encoded mRNA in each patient, were reviewed. MAIN OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS: Time of survival from presentation to last known follow-up and tumor-related death. RESULTS: Four of the 8 patients (50%) with NKTL involving the orbit or ocular adnexa had systemic involvement at presentation. Five of the 8 patients (62.5%) had concurrent sinonasal involvement, whereas 3 (37.5%) had orbital involvement alone. All lesions demonstrated CD3, CD56, and/or Epstein-Barr virus positivity on immunopathology studies. Therapy consisted of various chemotherapeutic regimens typically employed in the treatment of non-Hodgkins lymphoma, steroids, surgical intervention, and radiation. Seven (87.5%) patients died 5 weeks to 13 months after presentation, and 1 (12.5%) is alive without disease (5-year follow-up). CONCLUSIONS: Natural killer/T-cell orbital lymphoma is a rare Epstein-Barr virus-associated neoplasm that may occur with or without associated sinonasal involvement. Our series, the largest cohort reported to date, demonstrates the high lethality of this condition despite aggressive conventional therapy, suggesting that new treatment options should be considered early in the course of treatment of patients with this disorder.

The Role of the Immune Response in the Pathogenesis of Thyroid Eye Disease: A Reassessment.

BACKGROUND: Although thyroid eye disease is a common complication of Graves' disease, the pathogenesis of the orbital disease is poorly understood. Most authorities implicate the immune response as an important causal factor. We sought to clarify pathogenesis by using gene expression microarray. METHODS: An international consortium of ocular pathologists and orbital surgeons contributed formalin fixed orbital biopsies. RNA was extracted from orbital tissue from 20 healthy controls, 25 patients with thyroid eye disease (TED), 25 patients with nonspecific orbital inflammation (NSOI), 7 patients with sarcoidosis and 6 patients with granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA). Tissue was divided into a discovery set and a validation set. Gene expression was quantified using Affymetrix U133 Plus 2.0 microarrays which include 54,000 probe sets. RESULTS: Principal component analysis showed that gene expression from tissue from patients with TED more closely resembled gene expression from healthy control tissue in comparison to gene expression characteristic of sarcoidosis, NSOI, or granulomatosis with polyangiitis. Unsupervised cluster dendrograms further indicated the similarity between TED and healthy controls. Heat maps based on gene expression for cytokines, chemokines, or their receptors showed that these inflammatory markers were associated with NSOI, sarcoidosis, or GPA much more frequently than with TED. CONCLUSION: This is the first study to compare gene expression in TED to gene expression associated with other causes of exophthalmos. The juxtaposition shows that inflammatory markers are far less characteristic of TED relative to other orbital inflammatory diseases.

Parallel Gene Expression Changes in Sarcoidosis Involving the Lacrimal Gland, Orbital Tissue, or Blood.

IMPORTANCE: Sarcoidosis is a major cause of ocular or periocular inflammation. The pathogenesis of sarcoidosis is incompletely understood and diagnosis often requires a biopsy. OBJECTIVE: To determine how gene expression in either orbital adipose tissue or the lacrimal gland affected by sarcoidosis compares with gene expression in other causes of orbital disease and how gene expression in tissue affected by sarcoidosis compares with gene expression in peripheral blood samples obtained from patients with sarcoidosis. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: In a multicenter, international, observational study, gene expression profiling of formalin-fixed biopsy specimens, using GeneChipp U133 Plus 2 microarrays (Affymetrix), was conducted between October 2012 and January 2014 on tissues biopsied from January 2000 through June 2013. Participants included 12 patients with orbital sarcoidosis (7 in adipose tissue; 5 affecting the lacrimal gland) as well as comparable tissue from 6 healthy individuals serving as controls or patients with thyroid eye disease, nonspecific orbital inflammation, or granulomatosis with polyangiitis. In addition, results were compared with gene expression in peripheral blood samples obtained from 12 historical individuals with sarcoidosis. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Significantly differentially expressed transcripts defined as a minimum of a 1.5-fold increase or a comparable decrease and a false discovery rate of P < .05. RESULTS: Signals from 2449 probe sets (transcripts from approximately 1522 genes) were significantly increased in the orbital adipose tissue from patients with sarcoidosis. Signals from 4050 probe sets (approximately 2619 genes) were significantly decreased. Signals from 3069 probe sets (approximately 2001 genes) were significantly higher and 3320 (approximately 2283 genes) were significantly lower in the lacrimal gland for patients with sarcoidosis. Ninety-two probe sets (approximately 69 genes) had significantly elevated signals and 67 probe sets (approximately 56 genes) had significantly lower signals in both orbital tissues and in peripheral blood from patients with sarcoidosis. The transcription factors, interferon-response factor 1, interferon-response factor 2, and nuclear factor κB, were strongly implicated in the expression of messenger RNA upregulated in common in the 3 tissues. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Gene expression in sarcoidosis involving the orbit or lacrimal gland can be distinguished from gene expression patterns in control tissue and overlaps with many transcripts upregulated or downregulated in the peripheral blood of patients with sarcoidosis. These observations suggest that common pathogenic mechanisms contribute to sarcoidosis in different sites. The observations support the hypothesis that a pattern of gene expression profiles could provide diagnostic information in patients with sarcoidosis.

IgG4 immunostaining and its implications in orbital inflammatory disease.

OBJECTIVE: IgG4-related disease is an emerging clinical entity which frequently involves tissue within the orbit. In order to appreciate the implications of IgG4 immunostaining, we analyzed gene expression and the prevalence of IgG4- immunostaining among subjects with orbital inflammatory diseases. METHODS: We organized an international consortium to collect orbital biopsies from 108 subjects including 22 with no known orbital disease, 42 with nonspecific orbital inflammatory disease (NSOI), 26 with thyroid eye disease (TED), 12 with sarcoidosis, and 6 with granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA). Lacrimal gland and orbital adipose tissue biopsies were immunostained for IgG4 or IgG secreting plasma cells. RNA transcripts were quantified by Affymetrix arrays. RESULTS: None of the healthy controls or subjects with TED had substantial IgG4 staining. Among the 63 others, the prevalence of significant IgG4-immunostaining ranged from 11 to 39% depending on the definition for significant. IgG4 staining was detectable in the majority of tissues from subjects with GPA and less commonly in tissue from subjects with sarcoidosis or NSOI. The detection of IgG4+ cells correlated with inflammation in the lacrimal gland based on histology. IgG4 staining tissue expressed an increase in transcripts associated with inflammation, especially B cell-related genes. Functional annotation analysis confirmed this. CONCLUSION: IgG4+ plasma cells are common in orbital tissue from patients with sarcoidosis, GPA, or NSOI. Even using the low threshold of 10 IgG4+ cells/high powered field, IgG4 staining correlates with increased inflammation in the lacrimal gland based on histology and gene expression.

Infantile orbital cellulitis secondary to community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

Community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is increasingly recognized as a cause of invasive disease in children. Orbital cellulitis typically occurs in older children, but it can occasionally affect infants and neonates. We report 2 infants with sepsis and orbital cellulitis caused by community-associated MRSA and review the relevant literature.

Primary neuroendocrine tumor of the orbit progressing to neoplastic meningitis.

A 60-year-old man presented with multiple cranial neuropathies and an identifiable left orbital lesion along the course of the supraorbital nerve. The pathologic features of the excised orbital lesion were consistent with a poorly differentiated primary neuroendocrine carcinoma. Four years after his diagnosis, the patient succumbed to neoplastic meningitis. No other primary tumor site was identified or clinically apparent during his illness.

Effect of short-duration silicone intubation in congenital nasolacrimal duct obstruction.

PURPOSE: To determine the incidence of premature dislocation of silicone tubes used in the treatment of congenital nasolacrimal duct obstruction and investigate the effect of early dislocation on treatment outcome. METHODS: This retrospective review of 227 cases of silicone intubation in the treatment of 151 patients with congenital nasolacrimal duct obstruction. Specific attention was given to premature tube displacement, persistent epiphora, and the need for reoperation. The effect of the duration of silicone intubation and patient age on surgical outcome was assessed. Significance was determined using a Mantel-Haenszel chi-square test. RESULTS: Tube displacement and removal prior to postoperative day 31 occurred in 93 of 227 (41%) of eyes. Four of 24 eyes (17%) in children younger than 12 months who had premature dislocation of silicone tubes compared with 7 of 40 eyes (18%) that maintained silicone tubes for 31 days or greater had persistent epiphora (p = 0.932); in eyes of children from age 12 months to 23 months, 5 of 46 (11%) had persistent epiphora compared with 6 of 78 (8%) (p = 0.549); and in children age 24 months or older, 9 of 23 (39%) eyes had tearing compared with 3 of 16 (19%) (p = 0.181). Reoperation rates were 1 of 24 (4%) compared with 0 of 40 (0%) (p = 0.23) of eyes in children younger than 12 months; no difference between groups (0%) in children from age 12 months to 23 months; and 5 of 23 (22%) versus 0 of 16 (0%) (p = 0.049) of eyes in children age 24 months or older for early tube removal versus standard tube removal, respectively. CONCLUSION: Premature tube displacement and tube removal prior to day 31 does not increase the risk of persistent epiphora or reoperation in children younger than 24 months. Children older than 24 months who have early tube removal have poorer outcomes with a significantly higher reoperation rate.

Quality of life in patients with Graves ophthalmopathy.

PURPOSE: To assess the quality of life in patients with Graves ophthalmopathy by means of a prospective questionnaire with validation. METHODS: A questionnaire containing 105 items was sent to 325 patients seen in our university-based oculoplastic clinic. Two hundred three questionnaires were returned and were suitable for analysis. Fifty-three consecutive patients with Graves disease who presented to the clinic for examination also completed the questionnaire. The questionnaire was validated by administering it to 33 healthy subjects who had no history of Graves disease or thyroid disorder. The results were compared with those of normal subjects and with national norms for visually impaired populations. The relationship of individual questionnaire items to measures of clinical severity was subsequently assessed. RESULTS: Patients with Graves ophthalmopathy report greater impairment in both physical (44.4 versus 51.9; P < .001) and mental (43.8 versus 51.8; P < .001) health; poorer self- image (P < .001); and significantly more disturbance in their sleep, social function, and work function (P < .001) than controls. Afflicted patients also experience significantly more diplopia, blurred vision, and dry eye symptoms than controls (P < .001). Individual questionnaire items were found to correlate with clinical disease severity scores and were used to establish a Graves ophthalmopathy quality-of-life questionnaire with disease severity validation. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with Graves disease are significantly impaired in their social and vocational function because of the ophthalmic manifestations of the disease. A short questionnaire that correlates with clinical measures of disease severity may be a useful measure of quality of life in this disease.

Eyelid replantation eight months after traumatic avulsion.

We present a case in which a lower eyelid avulsed during trauma, was assumed to be lost, and was fortuitously discovered within a fistulous tract in the temporal fascia. The ectopic located lower eyelid was then replanted to its original location. The replanted lower eyelid and several lashes survived. We offer that in the rare instance when eyelid tissue cannot be immediately replanted after injury, temporary ectopic storage and future replantation may be a viable option.

Injectable hydroxyapatite paste as an option for ocular implantation after evisceration.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the feasibility of small incision evisceration with an injectable ocular implant that is biocompatible and preserves globe size. DESIGN: Experimental animal study. METHODS: The axial length of the eyes of 12 rabbits was determined by ultrasound before surgery. Subsequently, 12 eyes of 12 separate rabbits were eviscerated and injected with hydroxyapatite (HA) paste (BoneSource; Stryker Leibinger, Kalamazoo, MI). Three rabbits each were killed at 2 weeks, 6 weeks, 3 months, and 6 months after evisceration, and measurements of globe size were compared with measurements of the fellow eye. Histologic examination of the eviscerated eyes was performed. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The axial length and lateral globe measurements of the eviscerated eye were compared with the fellow eye. The eviscerated eye was examined histologically and the degree of inflammation, vascularization, and ossification was noted for each period of observation. RESULTS: The mean preoperative difference in axial length between the control (fellow eyes) and the subsequently eviscerated eyes was 0.15 +/- 0.04 mm (mean +/- standard error of mean). The average axial and lateral globe measurements of the operated eye were 0.8 +/- 0.4 mm less than the fellow eye 2 weeks after surgery, and this difference increased to 3.1 +/- 0.7 mm 6 months after surgery. Histologic examination showed a decrease in granulomatous inflammation and an increase in vascularization of the implanted HA over the time of observation with early osseous metaplasia. CONCLUSIONS: Small incision evisceration is possible with ocular volume replacement with an injectable orbital implant. Injectable HA paste shows promise as an option for implantation after eye evisceration; however, further studies are required to establish the stability of this material for this application.